Tangled in a Rosebud
by KariCariCarlGrace
Summary: "But why would a princess need courage? Isn't that what the prince is for?" "Not every princess has a prince, my rosebud. And not every princess wants one. You see, sometimes a princess has to become her own prince. And that is exactly what this princess did." This is the true tale of princesses Rapunzel and Briar Rose: a tale of courage, piracy, adventure, love, and independence.


**Prologue**

"Once upon a time a single drop of sunlight fell from the heavens, and from this little drop of sun grew a magic golden flower. Its glowing leaves had the ability to heal the sick and injured. Centuries passed as a great kingdom grew from the bountiful island nearby. This kingdom had grown to become a powerful empire, one that was led by a beloved king and queen. Now this queen, after countless years of efforts, was about to have a baby. The beloved king and queen were overjoyed and the kingdom celebrated with wine and feasting for weeks to come. But soon, those joyous times came to an end for the queen had fallen prey to disease. The king and his men sought far and wide for any healer that could possibly save the beloved queen. But no matter how hard the king searched, how far his men travelled, or how much the kingdom offered in payment, no medicine could be found.

One night after the king had fallen asleep the queen snuck away from her chambers and ventured into the woods. She gazed up into the stars and begged for a miracle that could save her child. She cried and sank to the cold earth beneath her feet. She stayed there until the guards found her and returned the queen to the palace. It was that night she was given a dream. It was a dream of a golden flower that could heal both her and her child. The kings' men searched the forest for three days without food or sleep before, finally, they had found it. The kingdom rejoiced once the queen was healed. She gave birth to healthy baby girl with eyes as blue as the sky and hair as golden as the flower which healed her. The king and queen lit a floating lantern into the sky, celebrating her miraculous birth, and everything was perfect. Her name…was Rapunzel.

But you see the queen wasn't the only one who needed the magic from the flower to keep her alive. The old crone of the forest, Mother Gothel, had been using the flower to keep her alive and young for decades. Without the flower she no longer had a means of staying young. So one night she broke into the castle and cut a lock of Rapunzel's hair. But as soon as her golden hair was cut it turned brown, and its magic was lost. So Gothel took the child and escaped from the castle. She ran into the woods where she locked Rapunzel inside of a tower within a magical grove that cast away anyone who dared try and enter. And every week of every month Gothel would have Rapunzel sing her magic song and her youth would be restored. And every year on her birthday the kingdom of Corona would launch floating lanterns into the sky in the hope that, one day, their lost princess would come back to them."

"What happened, Mommy?"

"Well my rosebud, to understand this story you must also know another. You see on the day of Rapunzel's birth another princess had also been born into a neighboring kingdom. She had hair as black as night, eyes the color of peridot, and lips as red as-"

"A rosebud?"

The woman laughed and poked the little girls' nose, "Just like a rosebud."

"This princess was the first child of King Leopold and Queen Eva, and was cherished throughout the land. In fact this child was so beloved that the Blue Fairy sent down three of her best fairy godmothers, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather to bless the child. So when the day came for the king and queen to present the child to court the three fairies were ready to bestow their magical gifts upon the little princess. The first fairy, Flora came forth and waved her wand over the baby.

"I give her the gift of great beauty," she said. "May she grow to become the fairest in all the land."

The court cheered and praised the fairy for the gift she had given the child. Then the second fairy, Fauna, flew beside the cradle so that she may bestow her gift.

"I give her the gift of song," she said. "May her voice be as sweet as nectar, and may every note be as pleasant as a spring breeze."

The crowd cheered even louder than they had before. Then the third fairy, Merryweather, stepped forward and tapped her wand against her palm. She thought for a moment before she smiled.

"I give the princess my most valuable treasure," she said. "I give her the gift of courage. May she stand strong and hold her head with the pride of one thousand men."

The court fell silent as every eye shifted amongst the crowd. A low murmur could be heard before a steady, quiet, applause wavered about the lavish room."

"But why would a princess need courage? Isn't that what the prince is for?"

"Not every princess has a prince, my rosebud. And not every princess wants one. You see, sometimes a princess has to become her own prince. And that is exactly what this princess did."

"As the princess grew the castle could see her gifts coming to life before their very eyes. With every passing day the girl became even more beautiful, with every song she became more pleasant, and with every adventure she became more daring. Her childhood was spent running around the courtyards with the noble boys, taking the lead in all of the games they played. Her teen years were spent in the stables avoiding her studies. She learnt how to ride like a man and how to wield a sword like a hero. Many could even find her shooting an arrow into the center of a target as if she were Robin Hood. She spent eighteen years in the palace before she disappeared, never to be seen again. Some say she finally met her match and was struck down by a fierce some beast. Others say that the king and queen disowned her to create a new heir to the throne. And the king and queen did have a new heir, a little girl by the name of Snow White. But there were no fairies to bless the child this time, for they had all learnt that magic came with a price. And no one would ever forget what had happened to their beloved princess Briar Rose."

* * *

**So here is the prologue for my new idea Tangled in a Rosebud. I'll continue to develop this and update but if I see that people enjoy this little idea then I'll be a lot more motivated to continue and keep up with this. So anyways, this story as you can see will be about princesses Rapunzel and Briar Rose (also known as Rose Red in classic fairytales). This prologue was basically just background information that will be put into more detail as the story continues. So who are you guys more interested to see? Rapunzel? Or Briar Rose? **


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